Magnitude-4.4 Earthquake Shakes Up Southern California

The Golden State got a noisy wake-up call when a magnitude-4.4 earthquake hit at 1:35 A.M. PT Wednesday morning. The quake was centered in San Bernardino County about 30 miles east of Los Angeles, but the initial quake and its large magnitude-2.3 aftershock were felt throughout the lower region of the state. "It sounded like a bomb going off," one Riverside resident said. Sgt. Chris Hice of the Rialto Police Department described the earthquake's intensity saying, "It felt like somebody ran into our building."

The Golden State got a noisy wake-up call when a magnitude-4.4 earthquake hit at 1:35 A.M. PT Wednesday morning. The quake was centered in San Bernardino County about 30 miles east of Los Angeles, but the initial quake and its large magnitude-2.3 aftershock were felt throughout the lower region of the state. "It sounded like a bomb going off," one Riverside resident said. Sgt. Chris Hice of the Rialto Police Department described the earthquake's intensity saying, "It felt like somebody ran into our building."

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U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) geophysicist Jessica Sigala explained to ABCNews.com that the magnitude wasn't quite high enough to cause substantial damage, just that there was "a lot of shaking." The USGS has received reports claiming the shaking was light to moderate and no immediate damage was reported. "4.4? That's a decent jolt," Sgt. Brian Heaviside said of the earthquake's strength. Still he "barely felt it" despite being on patrol in Fontana, which is three miles outside the center of the quake.

Compared to the devastating earthquakes the area has received in the past, this was a relatively mild one. Still, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has been working hard to make earthquake safety a priority. Partnered with the USGS, they are discussing how to best protect buildings, telecommunications and water supplies going forward. "We are here to make sure we are ready when, not if, the next earthquake hits," Garcetti said.

Have you ever experienced an earthquake? Share your story in the comments below.

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